There's a quote by an 18th century Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher...and he said that, "No great advance has been made in science, politics or religion without controversy"...and while that's true, had he only been born a couple of hundred years later, he could have added LINKIN PARK to that list...let me elaborate...over the years, music of all genres has had it's fair share of controversial moments that have become embedded in pop-culture folklore...OZZY OSBOURNE, the legendary BLACK SABBATH vocalist will always be remembered for biting the head off a bat on stage, much to the shock of many (like dude, eat a Snickers!)...when THE PRODIGY released "Smack My Bitch Up" the BBC would only play instrumental versions and not even say it's name, with the video too being banned because of it's adult content, but it was nothing compared to RAMMSTEIN and their comically explicit video for "Pussy"...however, all of these controversies fall under shock-tactics...they all make you go "Holy shit!" in their own memorable ways...but Linkin Park on the other hand...they've gone too far. The Californian alt-rock giants exploded onto the scene with debut "Hybrid Theory" nearly twenty years ago, their angst-ridden rap-meets-metal approach won them a legion of fans and they quickly became a household name, and while follow up "Meteora" was just as good...everything that came afterwards has gradually raised more questions than satisfied fans. Be it remixes or even A Capella recordings, they've never been afraid to shake it up, but this time, I believe they've not crossed the line, but leap-frogged it...they've just released the brand new album "One More Light"...brace yourself...this is about to get ugly.

We open up with "Nobody Can Save Me" and if you're with me this far in then sadly, it's all too true and we're only one song in...there's no going back now...starting off with some ultimately strange auto-tune type, noise basically, its very soft and it's generally synthesized tone is very hushed. Chester Bennington's vocals are clean, and this isn't new, he does have a wonderful voice it has to be said, he always has, but here it's just incredibly generic radio pop with subtle dub elements...it's like something you can imagine COLDPLAY releasing...alarm bells are ringing. "Good Goodbye" introduces Mike Shinoda to the fray and his rapping, if you can call it that, monotone as it is, hasn't changed in virtually twenty years, but it's recognizable and you welcome it. There are more hooks to this one and extra vocals courtesy of rappers PUSHA T and STORMZY, giving the track an extra dynamic but again, it's worryingly generic...it's all far too...beige...

"Talking To Myself" offers us the first glimpse of any sort of semblance of quality here...there is a distinct guitar tone that really you've been longing for and even Chester find's himself delivering vocals that ALMOST sound passionate...it builds up, or tries to at least and has some genuine catchy elements, but it's still so very far off the mark...just like "Battle Symphony"...it's got relatively unimaginative R'n'B elements musically but again it's so fucking soft! This isn't a battle, this is a fucking pillow fight restricted by EU health and safety regulations, with the fight being called off because feathers are a choking hazard...honestly it's depressing! Lead single "Heavy" is almost taking the piss quite frankly...like, is it meant to be a rib? Are Linkin Park mocking their fans? Credit to guest vocalist KIIARA who carries this track, giving it a level of credibility so it can rub shoulders with an ensemble of artists dominating the charts with outstanding mediocrity...Heavy? Pass the lead boots, I fancy a swim...

The title track "One More Light" goes for some form of ballad approach but again you can't help but feel that, this is more like a Coldplay record, no...worse...this will sooner appeal to fans of ONE DIRECTION than it will to fans of Linkin Park, that's the sad reality here, across the whole album...it's...I want to say insulting? Please...NO more light...before we really quite ironically finish up on "Sharp Edges"...rich in soft country acoustic elements and more pop qualities, it's got a decent beat and rhythm and reluctantly this again, is a highlight but, sharp? It's about as sharp as prison soap...and dropping the soap and listening to this incite the same level of appeal...what Linkin Park have done here is almost beyond comprehension. You've got the biggest band of a generation, peddling this "genreless" radio friendly tripe yet still having the audacity to call themselves Linkin Park? I'm sorry but, am I in an alternate universe? On face value, this is a decent Summer pop record, at only just over half an hour long (thank fuck) you can pop this in your CD player and chill in the garden in the Sun with a cold one, and it's over before you need to top up your Soltan...the sad truth is, this is the same band that released "Crawling"..."One Step Closer"..."Faint"..."From The Inside"...and they have reduced themselves to this. There's artistic merit and shaking things up to diversify your output, but there's also shitting on your fans from a great height. You have a problem with it? Chester will happily punch you in the mouth...and the fucking queue starts here. [2]

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Gavin J Griffiths, a.k.a GavTheGothicChav, lover of new music and supporter of bands. Inspired by a mixture of horror and comedy, and fueled by a blend of alcohol and sarcasm...if you're singer / in a band and would like a review written up, please do get in touch via the email address at the top of the page and I'll get back to you ASAP. Much love x